Case Number 07934

Heights

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All Rise...

Judge Joel Pearce thinks everything looks perfect from far away.

The Charge

"Actors, painters, we're all the same: super-conscious of everyone else,
their work. But you sleepwalk through your own life. You're not really noticing,
or interested, in anyone."—Ian

Opening Statement

Character-driven films adapted from stage plays about stage actors are a
strange viewing experience for me. I always want to like them, because they
attract great performers and have intelligent, literate scripts. I generally
feel dissatisfied by them though, and Heights is no different. It is a
fascinating tale of dirty secrets and intertwining lives that shoots itself in
the foot by including too many secrets and too closely intertwining lives.

Facts of the Case

Isabel (Elizabeth Banks, The 40 Year Old Virgin) and Jonathan (James
Marsden, X-Men) are going to be married in
a few weeks. They are in love, but there are secrets between them.

Isabel's mother is world famous actress Diana Lee (Glenn Close, Hamlet) who is performing Lady Macbeth in
a New York stage production. She is also casting for a new play, and sees Alec
(Jesse Bradford, Swimfan) audition for a
role. He intrigues her, though he clearly wants nothing to do with her. She, in
turn, is struggling with her husband's own infidelities.

Meanwhile, British reporter Peter (John Light) is in town to write a story
on infamous nude photographer Benjamin Stone. He has a number of interviews to
conduct, some of which will bring him closer to the other characters than they
want.

Over the next 24 hours, all of their lives will connect in meaningful and
surprising ways.

The Evidence

Early on in the film, Diana claims that New York is the smallest city in the
world because everyone is so closely connected. Well, filmmakers must believe
that, because it is the site of so many movies of this ilk. Even though few of
the characters know each other at the beginning, they all realize as the film
continues that their lives have deeply affected each other. This attempt seems
sincere and well-intentioned, but Heights feels horribly bogged down and
artificial by the end.

After all, the success of stage play adaptations counts on believable
scripting and good acting to impress the viewers. There are no special effects
here, no complex and long-running stories to tell. Fortunately, the acting is
uniformly impressive. Glenn Close delivers a nuanced and controlled performance
as Diana, never overshadowing the more intimate and personal performances of
Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden, and Jesse Bradford. Each of these characters are
deeply flawed and well written, and we quickly settle into the idea that they
have known each other for a long time. The smaller roles are awesome as well,
with some familiar faces who are there to add depth to the film, rather than to
call attention to themselves.

The result of the performances is a film that I really wanted to let myself
get lost in, but I was distracted by wave after wave of coincidences. Especially
toward the end, these coincidences and connections between the characters become
almost comical. Alec disappears for half of the running time (not unlike
Macduff), only to play an important role in the film's conclusion. There are
also some moments of pretension that get in the way. Although the cinematography
generally stays out of the way of the performers (in a stylish way), the
intertitles introducing the characters seem a bit contrived.

As well, alternative sexuality is starting to feel like the new
multiculturalism in films. Now, I have no problems with gay characters in films,
just as I like characters from a wide range of backgrounds, but in
Heights it feels more like a fad than a serious attempt at handling
issues of sexuality. Ten years ago, the cast of a film set in New York would
certainly contain a number of conspicuously multicultural characters, in hopes
of showing how tolerant and hip the creators were. Here, it feels like director
Chris Terrio has done the same thing with homosexuality. My wish is that
characters from minority groups could be included in films more often without
the fanfare and preaching. Isn't that the best way to show tolerance? Especially
in a film that focuses, at its core, on the fact that secrets and lies can erode
any kind of relationship, even if both partners have agreed that they will
accept secrets kept from each other. This is a universal concept that most of us
can relate to, and its use of hot issues to press the point only serves to trap
it in this moment of time. Heights calls a lot on the language and memory
of Shakespeare, whose work has managed to stay fresh for over 400 years. In ten
years from now, it will already feel old and out of date.

The DVD has been well produced. The video transfer is attractive and sharp,
with clear details and no visible flaws. The color saturation is appropriate,
and the (overused) cityscape shots of New York look great during day and night.
The sound isn't quite as good, despite a pleasantly wide and subtle Dolby 5.1
sound stage. The voices get lost in the mix sometimes, and I found myself
straining to hear a few of the conversations. There are few extras on the disc.
A commentary track featuring Chris Terrio and Glenn Close headlines the bonus
content. Terrio takes the majority of the time, providing a number of details
about the production and filming. A location diary allows Terrio to take us
through the various New York locations from the shoot. A featurette shows us the
creation of the Broadway version of Macbeth that Diana starred in. A photo
gallery rounds out the extras, featuring the photographs that play such an
important role in the film.

Closing Statement

I know there are people who love movies like Heights, but they
frustrate me, even though I want to like them. If you like this sort of film, I
can recommend it warmly. It does have a number of odd coincidences, but it also
has exceptional performances. If plot contrivances bore or distract you, this is
a film you will probably want to pass up.

The Verdict

Although it's found not guilty on most charges, Heights is found
guilty of wasting great acting talent with a disappointing story.